In the world of fashion one cannot forget that which inspires it, or that which comes together because of it. We Dandi’s would have nothing to wear but from our own devices if it weren’t for the inspired designers of the world. ‘Tis the season to be thankful and aware of those things in our lives that bring us more life and creative delight. I am inspired by many people, events and things and architecture and interior design are right up there so I had to show you these magnificent maisons that Louis Vuitton is creating all over the world. Truly the ultimate in luxury.

Louis Vuitton has created 13 grand maisons to go with it’s collection of 460 stores worldwide and Sydney will be welcoming it’s own with a grand opening Dec 3rd.

These unique stores on the grandest scale are as much about the brand the architecture and they are located in fabulous cities from Singapore to Paris (of course), to Milan (of course twice).

At the Australian store they have even done the homework on how Dandi’s shop (on the weekends) and what they shop for the most (shoes) so they put the men’s department on the first floor, hoping to inspire our sweeties to shop for us during the week, and have designed 10 different chair designs for optimal moments of trying on footwear, making sure to take in consideration things like the tilt of the chair to get your shoe on and off, to the height of the chair for different size Dandis. Now that’s service.

My favorite Hollywood couple is on the front cover of one of my favorite design magazines. Is it Christmas already? It has finally happened that lesbians have transcended the design box. You know the one where we are style-less, flannel wearing, Doc Marten stomping retro throw backs with houses designed in classic college inspired furniture. To put it bluntly – the hymen has been broken!

Ellen has put her money where her house is. She loves to buy houses and make them special places for her and her family. This is a woman after my own heart as I do love to decorate and make my home a warm, inviting place for my family and friends. And I know for sure one place is not enough to capture all of my visions and can’t wait to follow Ellen’s lead. The one that is featured in this article is the seventh that Portia and Ellen have owned together and if you can believe it they are actually thinking of putting it on the market and moving on to their next adventure.

Though Ellen loves to change her environments to the point that the living room alone has seen 16 different lives (according to Portia), they loved the house so much at first sight that they bought it fully furnished and then added furniture, art and objects to pull it all together to become a place that reflects them both beautifully.

Putting together your perfect wardrobe and being meticulous about how you present to the world is not the only requisite of being a successful Dandi. Your home is also an extension of who you are and it is a way for you to give beauty and warmth to your guests as well as have a wonderful place to unwind and recharge.

The kitchen is the heart of any home and the place where great memories are made and last for a lifetime. The perfect Dandi kitchen expresses its taste in the decor as well as in the food. Dare to be bold with materials and colors and even in the furnishings that you choose.

Bold color use, like on the black floor and cabinets shown here, make an incredibly exciting statement. It projects a masculine feel yet is still inviting and warm. Kitchens are a place of pure creative expression so don’t settle for what was there when you moved in, make every room in your home your own.

Yup, that’s what this blog is going to be about. Well add to that food, fitness, masculine cosmetics, sometimes even cars and other manly type things that butch/boi/andros types that I will refer to as Dandi’s, like me always grew up loving.

When I was a little girl I was actually more like a little boi. Even at a very young age I identified with all things masculine; from Tonka Trucks to crafting model cars and motorcylce’s. And though I was never very athletically inclined, more of an artist type, I do love sports. Which brings me to why a person like me, who hates to workout, will be including fitness in this blog from time to time. Because I know a lot of us compensate for our stature with size and weight. As we all get older we need to consider the risks of being too overweight, it’s not worth a heart attack or breast cancer to maintain a less girlie figure. We can shape our bodies to fit our clothes better and look better to our own eyes without clothes with some simple daily efforts. So use them or not but take care of your health no matter what.

My love of masculine fashion, accessories, products and interior design is not about materialism for me. It’s about self expression. If it weren’t for clothes no one would really know how I feel on the inside. Thanks to suits, ties and masculine accessories people can understand me and treat me more like I feel right off the bat.

So what is the baby part of this? I originally came up with the name as what I want to be called by my ‘in the future’ children that my ‘high fashion mama’ and I are planning to have. I am androgynous. I don’t really consider myself butch and couldn’t qualify as feminine if I tried but whenever a femme calls me sir out of respect I have to say it doesn’t ring true. So Baba is a name that I will encourage our children to call me and the preppy part comes from the joy I have for creating style with color and whimsy. I do plan to lean heavily into my experience of starting a family and the joys and triumphs of the journey but I will also continue to try and help Dandi’s of the world in creating their own style.

Well that about sums it up. I will post trends as often as I can and try to give ideas and tips. We will see where this blog goes but my main purpose is to have fun and give my Dandi community the love and care we never got when going through our own puberty and certainly don’t get when shopping in the men’s department of most stores. I hope you learn something, can find some new looks and develop your own style from what you see here for both your home and your wardrobe.